Helina Metaferia

Helina Metaferia is a versatile artist who explores various mediums such as collage, assemblage, video, performance, and social engagement. Her artistic endeavors involve the integration of archives, somatic studies, and dialogical practices, aiming to bring forth overlooked narratives that amplify the experiences of BIPOC/femme bodies.

Biography of Helina Metaferia

Helina Metaferia earned her MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University and participated in the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.

Metaferia has received support for her work through various residencies, including those at MacDowell, Yaddo, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, and MASS MoCA. Presently, she holds the position of artist-in-residence at Silver Art Projects at the World Trade Center in New York City for the period of 2021-2023.  

Her recent solo exhibitions include "All Put Together" at Bolinas Art Museum in Bolinas (2022), "Helina Metaferia: (Middle) Passage for Dreams" at New York University’s The Gallatin Galleries in New York (2021), and "Refiguring the Canon" at Hamiltonian Gallery in Washington (2018), among others.

Helina Metaferia's artworks have been featured in various group exhibitions, including the Sharjah Biennial in Sharjah (2023), "Resting Our Eyes" at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco (2023), "Perplexity" at Kreeger Museum in Washington (2022), "All Together" at Martin Luther King Library Art Gallery in Washington (2022), and many more. 

Helina Metaferia received numerous grants and awards. Among them are the Boit Award from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (2014), the Emergency Grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Art in New York (2016), the Money for Women Visual Arts Grant from the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund (2020), FST Studio Projects Fund, New York (2021), Salomon Research Awards from Brown University (2022), and many more. 

Currently, the artist libes and works in New York.

Helina Metaferia's Art Style 

In her works, Helina Metaferia delves into intricate histories of institutionalized and systemic oppression, exploring how these narratives shape our personal experiences and interpersonal relationships.

Frequently, she employs her own body as a medium in her artistic practice, along with the bodies of participants or collaborators within her community. She explores how documentation and artifacts serve to preserve live art even in the absence of the artist, extending the lifespan of the work beyond transient moments and evolving into art forms in their own right.

Metaferia's work is influenced by traditional African art sensibilities, where visual art and ritual frequently converge, imbuing art objects with an experience or aesthetic that adds layers of meaning.